The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) is a massive free trade agreement involving Australia and ten other Pacific Rim countries, which reduces our democratic rights while increasing the rights of global corporations. The TPP is bad for:
After six years of community campaigning, the withdrawal of the US in January 2017 meant the original TPP-12 could not proceed, but the 11 remaining governments suspended some clauses and rebadged it as the Comprenensive Progressive TPP or TPP-11, which was signed in March 2018 and approved for ratification by the Australian Parliament in October 2018, If six of the eleven countries ratify it before the end of 2018, it will come into force for those countries in 2019.
For in-depth analysis and resources, including AFTINET’s submissions to parliamentary inquiries, click here.
Updated October 2018
June 21, 2018: Open Source Industry Australia (OSIA) has warned in a Techdirt article that the TPP-11 chapter on e-commerce may damage or destroy the free software licensing sector.
Over 120 people from 20 union, church, aid and environment organisations rallied outside the Sydney public hearing of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties concerning the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP-11). Speakers focused on the impact the TPP-11 would have on workers, temporary migrant workers and women, the cost of medicines, and the extra rights it would give investing corporations to sue the Australian government. The JSCOT and a Senate Inquiry will report back to parliament in September on whether or not the parliament should vote in favour of the legislation to implement the TPP-11. The protest movement is urging MPs to vote against the implementing legislation. See photos here.
June 14, 2018:
This article on the TPP-11 by Dr Patricia Ranald was published in the Sydney Morning Herald and Canberra Times.
June 12, 2018: Malaysia’s new Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir, last Friday made a brief but stunning statement in a media conference in Japan that he will review the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP-11.
Dr Mahathir said he believes weaker economies like Malaysia are at a disadvantage under the current terms, "It is important to take into consideration the level of development of a country."
Wednesday 6 June 2018: Martin Khor from the Third World Network (TWN) and the Consumer Association of Penang, has urged the new Malaysian government to reconsider support for the TPP-11, and trade policies more generally.
The TPP-11 has been tabled in Parliament and is being reviewed by a joint committee dominated by the government before consideration of the implementing legislation. We have succeeded in getting a Senate Inquiry on which the government does not have a majority and are campaigning for the Senate to reject the TPP-11 implementing legislation.
The government-dominated joint committee is meeting at 1 Bligh St, Sydney, on June 15.
18 May 2018: A new book by Canadian writer Joyce Nelson, Bypassing Dystopia: Hope-filled Challenges to Corporate Rule, gives insight into the Canadian government’s dogged support of Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). It has been reviewed by journalist Damien Gillis here.
May 14, 2018: US President Donald Trump last Friday ordered his Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer, to end “freeloading” and force trading partners to increase prices they pay for US pharmaceutical exports.
This policy results from the US pharmaceutical companies absurd and unproven argument that if other governments abandon their affordable medicine policies and agree to higher prices, the companies would then lower their prices in the US.
May 8, 2018: According to an Inside US Trade report dated May 3, Investor-State Dispute Settlement is still a key issue at the current session of North American Free Trade Agreement talks between the US, Mexico and Canada. US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer appears determined to opt out of ISDS provisions, while big business groups are frantically lobbying to retain them.